1. Field
The present disclosure relates to aircraft, more specifically to aircraft control systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Autopilot systems for aircraft exist in a great majority of civilian and military airplanes and make it possible, for example, to follow a pre-established flight plan, fly at a given altitude, follow a heading chosen by the pilot. These systems reduce the cockpit workload of the pilot. However, the pilot must always be the initiator of an airplane guidance task (e.g., entering the flight plan into the airplane navigation system, choosing the altitude, speed, and other set points) that the automatic piloting systems must then follow. An interaction between the pilot and the automatic piloting systems is therefore necessary to fly an aircraft until it has landed and come to a complete stop.
In certain situations, the pilot may become incapacitated (e.g., due to a failure of a critical system like the airplane pressurization system) and the pilot can no longer pilot the aircraft, particularly in the case of loss of consciousness. In such a situation, the aircraft is left to itself, and if the pilot fails to regain consciousness in time or if control is not regained by another suitable person, the aircraft will ultimately crash.
Furthermore, if the pilot loses consciousness when the automatic pilot is engaged, the flight continues until all the fuel on board is consumed before the airplane crashes. This is because, even when the automatic pilot is engaged, actions on the part of the pilots are necessary to engage an automatic landing phase.
Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is still a need in the art for improved aircraft control systems. The present disclosure provides a solution for this need.